Halloween: What Are We Really Celebrating?

by Joanne Brokaw

Under a full moon, the small dark figures scurry down the path, leaves crunching underfoot, dark cloaks flapping in the wind, each racing to reach the next abode and be the first to shout "Trick or treat!" It's Halloween, and millions of costumed children are getting ready to swarm their neighborhood streets in search of candy treats.

It's estimated that Americans will spend as much as $6.9 billion on decorations, candy and costumes this Halloween. But despite its commercial success, Halloween is still a holy day celebrated each year by hundreds of thousands of witches in America.

Take an historical pagan holiday, mix it with mainstream commercialism, and many Christian parents are left wondering what to do about Halloween.

Halloween History

The customs of Halloween date back more than 2,000 years, when the ancient Druids celebrated the harvest and ushered in the dark, cold winter ahead with the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The festival began at sundown on October 31st, which marks the change from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice. It was on this night that the Celts believed the rules of time and space were suspended, the veil between the living and dead was at its thinnest, and spirit activity at its most active.

The people extinguished their hearth fires and gathered around a common sacred bonfire to sacrifice animals and crops, and make predictions for the coming year by casting stones into the flames. They dressed in costumes and masks, and left bowls of food and wine outside their homes to keep evil spirits from entering. The people later relit their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

As Christianity spread, the church attempted to replace the pagan celebration with a church sanctioned holiday. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st as All Saint's Day to honor the saints and martyrs of the Christian church. Later, in 1000 AD, the church designated November 2nd as All Soul's Day, to honor all dead. Soon, the celebration of Samhain became known as All Hallow's Eve -- the evening before the hallowed church days -- or Hallowe'en. Together, the three celebrations are known as Hallowmas.

In ancient times, it was believed that the soul remained on earth for a time after death, and in England the poor villagers went "a-souling", begging from house to house for food and treats in exchange for the promise to pray for the dead on All Soul's Day. People carved scary faces into pumpkins or turnips and, lighting them with candles or hot coals, placed them in windows to scare away evil spirits.

European and Irish Immigrants brought their customs to the new world, and by the 1800s Halloween was firmly rooted in America. Over time, Halloween was transformed from a scary, ghoulish night into a neighborhood event marked by games, parties, and trick-or-treating.

Modern Witches

But in the pagan community, Halloween is still a sacred holy day -- the festival of Samhain -- which is one of the eight festivals of the Wiccan wheel of the year. Actual membership numbers are hard to come by, but it's estimated that there are as many as 500,000 practicing witches in the U.S. -- some estimates place the number in the millions. Groups meet in secrecy, and are diverse in their practices and beliefs.

Many witches practice white magic and paganism; some delve deeper into black magic and Satanism. However, almost all agree that Halloween is a sacred time to honor the dead, to offer prayers to the god and goddess, to cast spells, and to celebrate the cycle of life and death -- reincarnation being a central theme in witchcraft.

At Samhain, witches bid the Lord of the Dead goodbye at his temporary death, and prepare for his eventual rebirth at Yule. Because they believe the boundary between the living and the dead is blurred on Halloween, witches perform various rituals, channeling energy from stones, crystals, and herbs to invite a visit from the spirits of the Ancient Ones. Cauldrons, candles, jack-o-lanterns, dark cloths and bonfires are familiar tools of the craft, as potions are prepared and spells are cast in the hopes of divining the future and communing with the dead.

What's A Parent To Do?

All of this leaves many Christians wondering if they should participate in Halloween at all. The Bible specifically forbids the practice of witchcraft, and for some parents, even participating in mainstream activities like trick-or-treating is a violation of Scripture.

For mother and writer Terri Pilcher, "participating in Halloween would be participating in a festival celebrating Satan, Lord of the Dead." Instead, she says, her family celebrates All Saint's Day, choosing instead "to celebrate the lives of the Christians who have died before us, yet are still alive in heaven. Our celebration is one that belongs to the God of the Living, Jesus Christ." Her church hosts a pot luck dinner, and the kids play games for prizes and candy.

College student Amanda Beattie, on the other hand, sees Halloween as a chance to witness. "For a while, we had nothing whatsoever to do with Halloween," she says, "no candy, no parties, nothing. However, after a few years, we began to see Halloween as a major outreach opportunity. If there was so much done to exalt witchcraft, why wasn't someone getting out there and lifting up Jesus?" Amanda and her siblings set up an evangelistic puppet outreach in their front yard. "We don't use costumes or scary décor. Everything is light and Christ-centered." They hand out candy with Bible tracts attached. "It's proved to be a really effective outreach, and so much fun besides."

Brandon Jubar, a 35-year old husband and father, plans to take his two sons trick-or-treating -- one son will dress up like a caterpillar, the other like an elephant. "We're not trick-or-treating in the name of Satan," Brandon says, "and chances are the kids who come to your door aren't Satan worshippers, either." He points out that most holiday customs have pagan roots, from Christmas trees to Easter eggs to wedding bands. "I think the best way to handle the paganism associated with Halloween is to let commercialism kill it," Brandon says with a grin. "It has become a dressing-up, game-playing, candy-munching day for children."

In his book Halloween: What's A Christian to Do? (Harvest House Publishers), author Steve Russo suggests that instead of rushing to either condemn or condone Halloween, parents should rely on biblical principles for living, and let those principles guide specific decisions. For example, in Deuteronomy 18:10-13 we are warned to stay away from specific occult influences like witchcraft, divination, and sorcery and anything involving spirits, mediums and clairvoyants. For Russo, that means no decorations or costumes involving ghosts, witches, and goblins, and no games that involve casting spells or telling fortunes. He doesn't think that letting kids dress up as clowns or angels is supporting the occult.

Ultimately, Russo writes, "it all comes down to being careful not to compromise biblical principles in your own life as you respond to issues in contemporary culture."

Copyright 2002 by Elizabeth Joanne Brokaw   
All rights reserved.